Kootenai County officials, Lakes Highway District to move forward with one-year Bayview lease

COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners and Lakes Highway District commissioners met Thursday to decide a course of action for the Bayview dock owned by the district and previously maintained by the county. 

During the fiscal year 2025 budget deliberations, the BOCC declined to appropriate funds toward the current lease agreement with Lakes Highway District. The lease payment was $25,000.

A transfer ownership for the property had been issued April 23. The highway district saw that as a way to allow the county to replace a dock awaiting installation. It would have cost the county nothing, but Commissioner Leslie Duncan said the county shouldn’t proceed without a cost benefit analysis for the Bayview property. 

Residents turned up at the meeting to convey the importance of the dock to boaters in the area.

“I hope we work this out today. I really do,” Chad Cadnum said.     

David Londeree lives between Bayview and Athol and said the Bayview dock has long been his main point of entry for recreation in the area. 

What had primarily been a resource for enjoying the outdoors on the water became a critical piece of infrastructure when Londeree fell and broke both hips years ago.  

The docks were used to get him an ambulance and medical care in a timely manner. 

“It’s important to me that the fire department and ambulance service has access to get injured people off the lake, and that’s why I’m here today,” Londeree said. 

Gary MacDonald said the situation has become a nightmare for those in the area. He asked commissioners why the Bayview property has garnered focus from county officials. 

“We feel we have been shortchanged by the whole process,” MacDonald said. 

Duncan proposed a memorandum of understanding that could spell out a new arrangement between the county and highway district. The MOU would see the county temporarily continue maintenance at some highway district properties, but the lease price would be $1 for the year.

“With our commitment today, would you be willing to sign the dock permit so we can move forward with that, knowing that our commitment through this MOU would take off the burden of maintenance for this year?” Duncan asked Lakes officials.  

Lakes Commissioner Steve Adams said he would feel comfortable with that scenario if it meets legal requirements for the district.

"That’s the difficulty. We won’t know what the MOU says until we have it," Lakes Commissioner Susan Weeks said.  

Weeks said the district will ask its legal representation to draw up a one-year lease document and examine the MOU language.

Nick Snyder, director of the county's Parks and Waterways Department, said that it's "in the public interest for them to be willing to accept that and let us move forward."  

"Commissioner Duncan, I think our best path forward would be the lease. If we could get that lease signed, one year, $1 and we’re out of here and getting a new dock installed," Adams said.

The BOCC and district briefly mentioned the need to address lease agreements for the two other highway district properties previously maintained by the county at Spirit Lake Nautical Loop and the Twin Lakes Par 3.

Weeks said she had lease documents drawn up for those sites as well.

    Kootenai County Board of County Commissioners and Lakes Highway District Commissioners met Thursday and decided to revert to the one-year lease previously proposed in order to move forward with an Idaho Department of Lands permit to put the dock in the water at the Bayview property for boating season.